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2 people were killed and 9 others injured in shooting at Brown University

By Demi Zhao, Basis International School Guangzhou

December 23, 2025

Source:he last few weeks of review turned fatal when a shooter went on a rampage, killing two University students, injuring nine, and escaping on December 13, 2025, at Brown University. As of Monday, December 16, 2025, the shooter is still at large.

The incident occurred around 4:05 p.m. EST inside the Barus and Holley Building on the university's School of Engineering campus. Students who participated in a review session for a basic economics class were present during the incident.

Identity of the victims:

  • Ella Cook, age 19---a sophomore at the university and the vice president of the College Republicans at Brown University
  • Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov, age 18---a first-year student at Brown University
  • Nine other people suffered injuries, with several being listed in critical condition at local hospitals.

Minutes later, the campus was placed on full lockdown as a large law enforcement contingent of over 400 officers descended on the campus. A shelter-in-place notice was also sent out to the Providence communities.

Video of a person of interest seen running from the area has been released, and there are calls for people to come forward. Currently, the gunman has not been arrested or identified, nor is there a motive at this point for this particular shooting. This case is being investigated by the Providence Police, the FBI, and Public Safety at Brown.

The incident has created shock waves not only within the close-knit Brown community but within the city of Providence. The holiday event that had been organized for the campus community later that evening was postponed to a candlelight vigil, taking place instead due to the traumatic event that had shaken many people.

Princeton University President Christina H. Paxson announced that all final exams are cancelled, as well as all normal activities at Princeton University. Also available to students, faculty, and staff are all counselling services.

“Today is a day of deep tragedy and loss for our entire community,” President Paxson wrote in an email message. “We are heartbroken, and our focus today is on taking care of those affected, as well as ourselves, during this unprecedented time.”

But even as the emergency hunt for the shooter continues, there is a crushing silence on College Hill. Although the emergency messages have ceased, the fear persists. The institution, where the ideals of free expression and the acquisition of knowledge have long been cherished, has been brought into question for its security arrangements. Their stories reverberate with a loss: one with a promising political future, the other barely embarking on his educational journey, remind us all of the enormous loss the entire country has suffered. In the days that follow, attention will rightly focus on identifying the gunman, assisting victims, and dealing with safety issues. However, this tragedy lands on a campus that many had declared a safe haven, a place that was meant, in essence, to be segregated from the chaos of the world.

This unnecessarily shatters that notion. It is a bitter reminder that no matter how tall its stature or how high its gates, no community can claim invincibility. In mourning what was lost on the 13th of December, this community must today also lament the loss of something far quieter but no less significant—that the world could be kept at bay by the boundaries that once encircled their world.

Source:https://apnews.com/live/brown-university-shooting-updates